Yz250 push rod question

I noticed a couple of drops of oil on my garage floor and I traced it to an area near the push rod bolt (on the left side - near the flywheel).

Anyhow, it seems that the chain somehow nicked the case near where the push rod connects to the clutch cable.

First and foremost, I am looking for suggestions on how to fix this without replacing the left half of the case. The crack where the oil is leaking is not visible - the oil seems to almost 'sweat' or 'weep' out. I probably get 1-2 drops of oil on the garage floor per day.

I heard it may be possible to tack weld the area with the motor still intact? If that is not an option I could always try jb weld. However, I've had very mixed results with the jb weld and am somewhat hesitant to try it.

The second question is, should the push rod area be wet? I can't tell from the schematics in my service manual if oil should be able to flow from the clutch area down the push rod.

I'm hoping that perhaps this area is supposed to be dry and I can just replace an oil seal and then jb weld the case for extra peace of mind.

By the way, the bike is a 2001 yz250.

Thanks,
John

Anybody??? any thoughts on if there should be tranny oil in the push rod area? Am I looking at buying a new case half?

I am almost 100% sure of the crack's origin. The chain was able to get between the crescent shaped chainguard and the case.

Unfortunately, the push rod area is directly in front of the countershaft sprocket. I guess that at some point I was revving the engine in such a way that the chain was loose on the sprocket and able to 'rub' the case. The scuffing from the chain makes it extremely difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the crack (the scuffing area is small - about 1/3 inch - but hard to see clearly because of the angle.

If I get a chance, I will try and post a picture of the area.

Here are some pics of the scuffed area - hopefully the picture will clarify my poor description.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

I wish it was the drain tube, unfortunately no such luck. I can't visually confirm it, but it seems barely worn through. I'm concerned it will continue to get worse because of the torque on the motor and frame.

About 20-30 minutes after getting the area completely dry, if I touch the scuffed part it gets a tiny amount of tranny oil on my finger.

The worst part is that I just got the motor back from Gorr and I hate the idea of splitting the cases when it is running so well. Besides that, even though Gorr's prices were very reasonable I can't afford to put any more significant money into the bike for a little while.